Garbage Biography

Garbage is an international rock group formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The band members are Butch Vig, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson, and Shirley Manson.

As of October 2005 the band are on hiatus in order to spend "much needed" time with their friends and family. However, the band has no plans of permanently splitting as several sources had previously indicated. A greatest hits album, b-sides album, and various long-awaited DVDs are planned for release in mid-2006 (all of this has yet to be confirmed officially by the band).
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Vig, the producer of such influential albums as Nirvana's Nevermind and the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream, decided he wanted to play in a band again. He asked fellow producers Marker and Erikson, whom he had played with in Spooner and Firetown, to join him. After the group saw Shirley Manson on MTV (from her careers with Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie and Angelfish), they asked her to join the band. According to Butch Vig, Garbage got its name even before Shirley joined the band. While they were making some sound which included guitar riffs and electronics (later used in the song Vow) one of the guests in their studio called that music "garbage" several times. The name was later used as a band and album title. Another anecdotal origin for their name was that Butch Vig contributed a remix to Nine Inch Nails' album Fixed, which Trent Reznor labeled "garbage".

Garbage's angry, emotional lyrics contrasted with their catchy, pop alternative rock music. Garbage utilizes samples, electronic loops, grungy guitars, and various other effects to produce haunting and melodic tracks, made distinctive by Scottish singer Shirley Manson's sultry vocals. The fact that Garbage is composed of three music producers is made obvious by the high production quality, with many layers and a "wall of sound" production aesthetic.

Garbage released a string of increasingly-successful singles over the year 1995, culminating in the massive hit "Stupid Girl". They released their debut album, Garbage,later that year. It went top 20 in the US and top 10 in the United Kingdom.

Garbage spent two years working on their follow-up album, during which time Shirley Manson became well-known by the technologically savvy by being one of the first artists to maintain a blog. "Push It" was released and became a summer hit in 1998, reaching #9 in the UK and #52 in the US. Their second album Version 2.0 topped the charts in the UK and hit #13 in the US. In 1999, they performed the theme song to the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough.

After again retreating into the studio for several years, Garbage released beautifulgarbage in 2001. While it represented the band's most eclectic and mature sound to date, it contained no standout commercial singles. Hence, no songs charted in the US, and the four singles released charted in the 20s in the UK. Still, the album managed to reach #6 in the UK and #13 in the US, though it quickly slid down the charts. Garbage followed the album up with a successful tour of the US and Europe.

Garbage's newest album, Bleed Like Me, was released on April 11, 2005 (April 12 in North America and France). It topped the charts in many countries, including a #4 peak in the United States and a radio rock hit single, "Why Do You Love Me". It originally had the working title Hands on a Hard Body, but Shirley Manson announced that the band had come up with a new title, Bleed Like Me, that better fits the band's improved dynamic following a period of tension and crisis in October 2003. Shirley has also said BLM will comprise more hard rock and be a return to Garbage's roots after the eclectic experiment of beautifulgarbage, an announcement that has resonated with most fans. A compilation of b-sides and non-album tracks by the band, which had been planned by them prior to even beautifulgarbage, is also reported to be in the works.

As of October 2005, the band has also confirmed that a Greatest Hits album, a B-Sides album, a live DVD from the Bleed Like Me tour, and a video compilation DVD are set to be released by Summer 2006, if all goes right with the band's record label-related legal issues. The greatest hits album is set for release on April 3, 2006.

GARBAGE PICTURES

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GARBAGE BIOGRAPHY